DARLINGTON could easily have picked up six points from their opening two matches, but their finishing let them down again at Court Place Farm.

Just as in the Kidderminster game on the opening day, they lacked a killer touch in front of goal, especially when they were in charge of the game at 2-1 in the second half. Instead, they allowed Oxford to get back into the game which set up a rip-roaring climax.

At least they picked up their first point of the season, but it came at a cost as Cedric Main pulled up with a hamstring injury when he scored the second goal.

Assistant manager Terry Mitchell said: “It was a cracking game between two sides going right at it. We feel though that we had the clearer chances in the end. Oxford are a good footballing team, and our plan to get at them worked well.

“The final third, the final pass – the hardest thing to do is to put the ball in the back of the net. There was an unbelievable effort by our lads, especially in 25 degree heat for 97 minutes. At the end, the lads defended our box outstandingly well when Oxford had a little flurry.

“We had chances just before the end, we hit the crossbar, they hit the crossbar, it was a great game for the neutral to watch. We’ve played the two relegated teams now, and done well.”

After Oxford had a good opening spell, Quakers carved open the home defence with a Jack Maskell pass for Main, whose effort was deflected over the bar.

Main missed a good chance on 12 minutes when Oxford keeper Kai McKenzie-Lyle played the ball straight to him, but he couldn’t get enough height on his attempt and the keeper saved at full stretch.

Quakers managed to break through on 18 minutes. Again, they pushed the Oxford defence back into their own box, and skipper Will Hatfield had a shot cleared off the line, but the ball ran for Elliot Forbes to turn home.

The home side, who were relegated from the National League last season, stunned Quakers by levelling on 25 minutes, with a powerful shot by Lewis Coyle that flew past Peter Jameson.

However, Darlington regained the lead when Forbes won the ball and found Jarrett Rivers, who played the ball through perfectly for Main to race into the area and beat the keeper with a low shot. Unfortunately, the striker tweaked his hamstring in the process and had to be replaced.

Nevertheless, Quakers had chances to go further ahead. Sub Andrew Nelson and Maskell both had shots blocked before half-time, and after the break, Hatfield saw an effort pushed over by the keeper, Forbes was denied at close range, and Kallum Griffiths fired wide.

Encouraged by those misses, Oxford clawed their way back into the game and levelled from a right-wing corner through Jalen Jones from close range.

That equaliser set the game up for an extraordinary finish. Josh Ashby fired into Jameson’s hands from a left-wing cross, and Nelson and sub Cameron Salkeld both had efforts charged down.

In stoppage time, debutant Will Flint pounced on a mistake and chipped the keeper from 25 yards, but the ball came back off the bar, and MacKenzie-Lyle turned Nelson’s follow-up wide.

Matty Cornish came on as sub and set up Nelson, whose effort was saved by McKenzie-Lyle at full stretch.

Both sides kept going, and in the dying minutes Coyle hit the post with Jameson beaten, and then he struck the bar with another left-foot effort.